Mary Swander, Poet Laureate of Iowa, is the author of numerous books, poetry and plays. The plays, based on hours of conversations with Iowans, draw on an oral history tradition, presenting rural stories in people's own words. With rural issues in the spotlight following the election, we spoke with Mary about her work, the rural-urban divide and the role art plays in challenging times.

No organization knows the downsides of food waste better than the EPA, the agency that helps monitor food waste and regulate its management. Find out all the interesting tools, competitions and initiatives the EPA has created to help take a big bite out of food waste in the United States.

We talk with David Kanter, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at New York University, about the problems caused by nitrogen pollution and how we can better manage this critical resource.

We chatted with Co-Director of the Food Chain Workers Alliance Jose Oliva about how he became involved in labor issues within the food industry, some of the biggest challenges the Alliance faces and how the Alliance's work inspires a more sustainable food system.

Dr. Christopher Gobler and his lab at Stony Brook University are performing pioneering research investigating the causes and effects of harmful algal blooms in aquatic ecosystems, including the terrible toxic algae outbreak in Florida this summer.

Post Carbon Institute supports the transition to a more resilient, equitable and sustainable world. Here, PCI's Executive Director Asher Miller talks about what he sees as the biggest barriers to bringing about a more sustainable food system and what makes him hopeful that we can make things right.

Doug Lipton and his wife, Cindy Daniel, moved to Healdsburg almost 20 years ago to start a farm. Recently, Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle asked, "Is Shed the Best Restaurant in Sonoma County?" What an amazing journey they have been on.

We recently spoke with Marcy Coburn - the passionate Executive Director of the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA), based in San Francisco. Marcy has played a pivotal role in bringing sustainable agriculture and food issues into the mainstream, both nationally and statewide.

We recently spoke with Kris Moon, Vice President at the James Beard Foundation (JBF), an organization whose mission is to "celebrate, nurture and honor America's diverse culinary heritage through programs that educate and inspire." Kris tells us more about the JBF's newly-launched Impact Programs, the Foundation's role in the good food movement and what inspires him in this work.

Edible Schoolyard NYC's programs are designed to teach kids about food and nutrition. But, as Andrew Barrett, Program Director of Edible Schoolyard NYC explains, edible education becomes much more: like empowering kids to make their own healthy choices and to become a force for positive change for our food system.

A Growing Culture (AGC) aims to create a global coalition connecting farmers with the resources they need to contribute to an ecologically sound food system and prosperous planet. Here, Founder and Executive Director Loren Cardeli talks about sustainable farming, challenges that farmers face and the importance of coalition building.

Oko Farms is New York City's largest outdoor aquaponics farm. Co-founded and managed by Yemi Amu, they raise freshwater fish and a variety of vegetables and herbs on a formerly unused lot in the heart of Brooklyn.

Marianne Cufone, Executive Director of Recirculating Farms Coalition and Farm Manager of Growing Local NOLA raises produce and fish in an aquaponics farm on an abandoned lot in New Orleans. Here, we talk about the challenges she's faced and who's buying her products.

We first met Michael Lewis of The Growing Warriors Project at Farm Aid 2015 where he and his fellow farmers presented the first United States flag to be made of American-grown hemp in nearly a century. We're excited to report that the partnership that made the flag was featured in a great new documentary, titled "Harvesting Liberty."

This week, we talked to Gus Schumacher, Founding Board Chair of Wholesome Wave, whose inspiring work in government and non-profits has helped to shape the modern farmers' market system in the United States.

Here we chat with Liz Carollo, the Publicity Manager for GrowNYC's Greenmarket, NYC's largest farmer's market organization. Greenmarket turns 40 this year and it's ready to celebrate its incredible growth: from a market with 12 farmers in a parking lot on 59th Street to over 230 farmers at 54 markets throughout the five boroughs!